File:The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century - a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and (14586727220).jpg

Identifier: greatestnations05elli (find matches)
Title: The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century : a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and a pronouncing vocabulary of each nation
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916 Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1870-1942
Subjects: World history
Publisher: New York : F.R. Niglutsch
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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doubtful conditions, or by such hesitant andlukewarm officials. All Frenchmen were alike loyal to France; but the republican ideal ofgovernment is by no means so highly respected in Europe as among ourselves.The National Assembly had, as we have seen, been elected simply to ar-range the peace with Germany. Now the chiefs of the Republic, Gambetta,Favre, and their friends, had been mainly instrumental in prolonging the war.Gambetta, indeed, protested against the peace to the very last. Yet it waspeace that the vast majority of exhausted and despairing Frenchmen wanted.Peace at any price! Hence many of the fire-breathing leaders of the Repub-lic were passed over in the elections, and men more cautious and conservativewere chosen for the Assembly in their stead. When that body met, it soondiscovered that a majority of its members did not favor a republic at all, butactually desired to restore some sort of monarchy. Their first business, however, was to arrange the peace; and the Republic
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France—The Monarchist Reaction 945 being actually in existence, they named the conservative M. Thiers for itsPresident, one reason for their choice being that he was himself a pronouncedMonarchist. So here was the poor Republic being both launched and officeredby men who had no faith in it, men who wished it dead. The horrors of the Commune served naturally to strengthen the monarchialtendency of the Assembly. President Thiers, however, having accepted theleadership of a republic, considered himself bound in honor to uphold thatform of government; and gradually he became convinced that moderate repub-lican institutions were really best suited to the needs of France, and weredesired by most of her citizens. Public sentiment was also shown plainly in the individual elections, causedby vacancies in the Assembly. There was a steady increase of votes forRepublican candidates. It became evident that while a majority of Francehad wanted peace most of all, they wanted the Republic also. Hen

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